


a spoken word is not a sparrow

by AgentStannerShipper



Category: Maleficent (Disney Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, F/M, Getting Together, Gratuitous use of flashback, Magic, Post-Canon, because thats just how birds are, diaval is both the brooding love interest and the swooning maiden, raven courting rituals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22356889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentStannerShipper/pseuds/AgentStannerShipper
Summary: "You want to stay?" she breathed.He nodded. "Yes, Mistress. I do.""Then stay, Diaval. Stay."
Relationships: Diaval/Maleficent (Disney)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 379





	a spoken word is not a sparrow

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at few hundred words at a time, in little chunks over a course of several months. I'm glad I finally was able to finish it. I experimented with my writing style just a smidge, amping up the classic fairy tale narrative. We'll see if it works.
> 
> Title is from a Russian proverb:  
> "A spoken word is not a sparrow. Once it flies out, you can't catch it."

_He stood alone on a precipice when she approached him, both bathed blue in the full moonlight._

_"Beautiful coronation," he said._

_"Isn't it just?" she replied._

_The man, for at that moment he was a man, turned to look at her, his brow furrowed. He knew his mistress well, knew her to be contemplative often and mysterious and sly at times, but he had never heard that particular note in her voice before. She did not look at him for several long moments, gazing out over the cliff to the plunging darkness beyond, mountain ravines cradling the moorlands beneath._

_"You've served me well," she told him. "More than sixteen years of service."_

_"Yes, Mistress."_

_Behind her, still healing from their ordeal, her wings flexed, brown feathers nearly black in the low light, although not as black as his. She smiled, dagger teeth behind blood red lips, but he could never be frightened by her smile. "You've taken such good care of me. Been my wings when I had none." They flexed and flared again, hooked tips catching in the moonlight, glinting bone. "You've even saved my life."_

_"I've done my best." For her, he always would._

_"Your debt to me is paid."_

_"Mistress?"_

_"You're free, Diaval. I release you."_

_He stared at her, his heart plummeting down the rocky slopes behind him. She took his hesitation wrongly, and reassured, "Whatever form you wish, it's yours. My gift to you."_

_"You don't want me anymore?"_

_She frowned, creasing her pale forehead. "I'm offering you freedom."_

_"I heard your offer. My debt to you is paid. I'm not bound to you by duty any longer." He stared at her, and the few feet of space between them could have been a mighty river, too turbulent and vast to cross. "If you want me to leave, I will. Give the word, and I'll fly from your side." He hesitated, and then stepped forward, closing the space just a fraction. He did not touch her. He would not dare. Instead he knelt, on one bent knee, and lifted his chin to meet her eyes. "But if you'll have me," he said, "I wish to stay."_

_The softness in her face was almost too much to bear. "You want to stay?" she breathed._

_He nodded. "Yes, Mistress. I do."_

_"Then stay, Diaval. Stay."_

***

Aurora laughed in delight, hurtling herself at her faery godmother and wrapping Maleficent in a fierce hug. "Oh, I've missed you."

Maleficent offered a thin smile, but her real affection shone through the crinkles around her eyes. "And I you, beastie." She patted Aurora's back, and her adopted daughter released her, turning instead to Diaval and smothering him as well. He hugged her back, his grip as tight as hers, so they were both grinning and breathless when they parted.

"I'm so glad you could make it," Aurora told them.

"I wouldn't want to miss the christening, now would I?" Maleficent's smile glinted. "Especially not since I'd been invited this time."

Aurora giggled and beckoned them in, the raven-headed staff in Diaval's hands - still Maleficent's, technically, but he carried it more often than not, these days - clinking against the tiled floor in harmony with the drag of Maleficent's wingtips, the stone polished so brightly that their dark reflections trailed, mirror-perfect, behind Aurora's brighter one. "Philip's attending to business," she called over her shoulder. "But he's delighted that you made it. There'll be the christening first, then the reception and dinner." She paused, turning back so sharply that Maleficent nearly walked into her, and Diaval tripped himself back so as not to crash into her wings. Aurora took her godmother's hands in earnest. "You will bless her, won't you? My daughter?"

Maleficent's eyes widened in surprise. Beside her, Diaval repressed a smile. It seemed at times that Maleficent failed to realize just how Aurora adored her; that she hoped for a blessing from her godmother to her child would not have surprised anyone else who knew her well.

At Maleficent's hesitation, doubt crossed Aurora's fine features, but the moment it appeared Maleficent shook herself from her stupor and nodded. "Of course. I'd be honored."

"It doesn't even have to be magic," Aurora told her, starting into the castle again. "Just for good luck."

Behind Aurora's back, Maleficent smiled. 

The christening was a sight to behold. Joyous citizens of both kingdoms, human and fae, filled the palace and grounds, hoping to catch sight of the tiny princess. Diaval kept tight to Maleficent's side, but there was little need. Out of deference - and some out of fear, for there would always be those who feared what they did not understand - she was given a wide berth. Philip had greeted them warmly, ushering them to the left of the thrones, opposite the cradle that held his precious daughter. 

And there were gifts. Oh, so many gifts, of flowers and toys, and of magic. Aurora's aunties went first, and gave the traditional presents of beauty, laughter, and grace. And then eyes turned to Maleficent. 

She approached the cradle alone, Diaval watching her from the sidelines, scanning the room, staff clenched tight in his fist, for any sign of aggression from the crowd. But perhaps some of the love Aurora had for her mother had reached out and touched the others, for there was no sign of anger or hate, just curiosity at what sort of gift the Dark Faerie would give.

"Ariella," she murmured as she knelt, the better to get a look at the tiny thing. "You look so like your mother when she was small." A cloud passed over her face, a glow of green in her eyes that faded away as she stood. "My gift to you, Ariella, is the gift I should have given your mother long ago." She stroked the baby's cheek, and between her fingers crackled light, the wood of her cradle coming to life with budding leaves as she wove the blessing. "I give you the gift of protection, so that no one might inflict harm on you, magical or mundane, that you do not deserve." She released the magic, and for just a moment Ariella glowed, gurgling in happy surprise at such a curiosity. Then the light faded, and Maleficent stepped back. 

"That's a lovely gift," Philip told her as she took her place again. "Thank you."

Aurora nodded, her hand to her chest. She was blinking rapidly, but managed to stop the tears from falling. She was an overjoyed mother, but she was also a queen.

The reception was smaller than the christening, comprised solely of the closest kin. Aurora's aunties were not invited, but of course Maleficent was, and Diaval with her. Philip's father was there, greeting Maleficent with the warmth he had always tried to show her, and she responded in kind. Ariella was passed around from hand to hand, so that all might admire her up close. 

Diaval lurked by the door, watching the interactions from afar, and surprise crossed his face when Aurora approached him, babe in her arms. She offered her out. "Would you like to hold her?"

"I'd be honored." Diaval took Ariella, cradling her close the way he'd done once or twice with baby Aurora. Ariella cooed and stretched her tiny hands, reaching to pat at his nose and hair. He stared down at her, lips parted, true wonder in his eyes. He cleared his throat. "She's a beautiful little fledgling, my queen."

Aurora laughed, putting a hand on his arm. "You needn't call me that, Diaval. You're as good as my father, you know."

He blushed and shook his head. "I'm Maleficent's servant, is all. Helping to raise you was a blessing, but it was her doing, not mine."

"You're not just her shadow, you know."

Diaval resisted the urge to sigh. He offered Aurora a thin smile. "Some days I wonder."

Aurora frowned, and even the expression of confusion and sorrow did not mar her beauty. "You went with her, didn't you? On her travels?"

_"Come to say goodbye?"_

_The ire in Diaval's voice was enough to bring them both up short, equally shocked that he could take such a tone with her. Maleficent approached with more caution. "Is that why you're up here, brooding? Because I'm going away?"_

_"I'm hardly brooding," Diaval muttered. It was an inaccurate statement for a bird, if not for a human, and despite his form, Diaval was not feeling particularly human at the moment._

_In the light of day, the cliffs were beautiful, the sun reflecting off the low clouds, the fog still hiding the moors from view. Dark Fae soared the skies, their laughter ringing between the mountains, darting and weaving with the breeze, dipping down every so often to touch the clouds. Diaval's jaw set._

_"I don't see why you're so upset," Maleficent huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm coming back."_

_"Of course. Have a safe journey."_

_"I'm going to be gone far too long for our last interaction to have been a quarrel."_

_"We're not quarreling. I'm wishing you well."_

_Maleficent raised an eyebrow. "You can't pretend to me, Diaval. I know you too well."_

_"Oh, do you?" The biting words escaped his lips before he could take them back. He shook his head, closing his eyes to block the image of hers widening, and then turned on his heel, meaning to stride past her._

_She stopped him with a hand, not touching him, but reaching out, two fingers extended as if in magic. There was no spell, but he stopped shoulder to shoulder with her, and turned to look._

_"Please," she said softly, looking more like the broken young woman he had first met nearly two decades ago than she had in years, the hardness of her features offset by the hurt in her eyes._

_He sighed. "I can't come with you."_

_She blinked, and he clarified, "I don’t blame you for not asking me. I wanted...but a bird would just slow you down. I wouldn't be able to keep up." He folded his arms across his chest, hugging the body he had been given, the form that was and was not his at the same time._

_"You wanted to come?"_

_The surprise in her voice cut deep, burning him like iron scalded her. He swallowed hard and nodded. "Where you go, I go, Mistress. That's been our way." But not anymore. The season was changing, Diaval realized. Many things were coming to a close._

_"Did it never occur to you to ask?"_

_She was facing him head on now, and he turned to match. "Of course, it occurred to me."_

_"Then why didn't you?"_

_"Because you have them now." He waved a hand at the Dark Fae soaring beyond. "You have your wings, and a people to match them. I have nothing to offer you in comparison to that."_

_"You have your company."_

_He stared at her, and Maleficent smiled, looking momentarily like a truly benevolent faery. "You haven't been my servant in years, Diaval. If I hadn't wanted you around, I would have sent you away long ago." She hesitated. "I have come to...rely on you. I trust your guidance, your judgement, sometimes more than my own."_

_He didn’t know what to say to that, and so cast his head downward instead. Maleficent did not ask him to meet her gaze. "I set the pace," she said. "And I have never flown such a great distance before. I should think, given that, that a raven should have no trouble keeping up."_

Diaval shrugged, keeping his gaze fixed on Ariella so he wouldn't have to meet Aurora's eyes. "I went. I followed her, like always. I chose to."

"What was it like?"

"Exhausting." Diaval handed the princess back to her mother, and then offered a shallow bow. "Excuse me." 

Aurora watched him as he left to the room. It occurred to her that she had so rarely seen him far from her godmother's side, and even more rarely by his own choice, as opposed to Maleficent's. She resolved to ask the faery about it when she got a moment, but Maleficent and King John were currently deep in discussion. She didn't even appear aware that her faithful servant had gone.

He did not have to be fetched for dinner, reappearing as if by magic - although it wasn't - just as they were preparing to sit down for the meal, taking his position beside Maleficent without a word. The main course was rabbit and the silverware genuine - iron-free - but some inexplicable tension remained on the raven's part, if not Maleficent's. He picked at his plate without eating, and it was only at Aurora's concerned look that he swallowed a single bite.

"Do you intend to stay the night?" Philip asked them towards the end of the meal. "We have plenty of room."

"A gracious offer, but we really ought to get back." Maleficent's tone was unblemished. "I've been away from the moors too long."

"Oh, but it's just one night!" Aurora begged. She looked to Diaval, who avoided her gaze, and so she turned back to Maleficent. "Surely you can stay one night. The moors will still be there in the morning."

Maleficent hesitated a moment longer, then acquiesced. "Very well. One night." 

"Good." Aurora looked satisfied, as of she'd had no doubt of this outcome. "We've already had rooms prepared for you two."

"Actually, I think I _will_ be leaving," Diaval said. Maleficent and Aurora both stared at him. Philip and his father might not have fully understood the tension, but they did not miss it.

"Leaving?" Maleficent echoed. "To where?"

"Just need to stretch my wings. Look over the territory." Diaval pushed back his chair and stood, offering his cane back to Maleficent, who was too stunned to do other than take it from him. He waited a moment, and when she did no more, coughed politely. "Mistress?"

"Right." She shook herself, then cast the spell, Diaval's human features twisting and fading into a beak and feathers with long-practiced ease. He dipped his head, cawing once, and then took flight, soaring out of the room and into the night. 

Maleficent rested the cane across her lap, fingers toying idly with the carved head, her gaze still fixed on where Diaval had disappeared even as eyes turned back to her. Then she refocused on her food without another word. 

The rest of dinner was a silent affair.

The room Aurora had prepared was homier than the Dark Faery had expected. The drapes had been lowered around the bed to encourage the dark closeness of a tree nest, aiding by the delicate leaf designs in the fabric. Flowers were scattered around the room, not cut but growing in their decorative pots as if set into the stone. It was not quite like being in the wilderness, but it was a close enough approximation that Maleficent was touched.

She sat on her bed with Aurora, running a brush through her goddaughter's hair. The golden locks fell across her hands like waterfalls of silken grass, tickling her skin. It had been years since they sat like this together, and Maleficent relished the intimacy it provided. It reminded her of simpler times.

The silence was broken by Aurora, her voice hesitant. "Godmother? Is something the matter? Between you and Diaval, I mean."

Maleficent's hands stilled. She could see Aurora's face in the mirror across the room, but even in glass the young woman wouldn't meet her eyes. Maleficent sighed, and resumed brushed. "I don't know, beastie. I don't know."

Outside, soaring on the night breeze, Diaval watched the moors from above, coming to light beneath him as faeries danced and glowed in the moonlight. The castle was still lit up behind him, but he didn't give it another look. He could make out one or two dark shapes with him in the sky, bigger and faster, but most of the Dark Fae who had made the moor their home would be turned in for the night, tucked away in sturdy trees or in cave nests. Diaval circled Maleficent's castle, the familiar ruins of stone and debris, before spiraling into a landing, hopping with a flutter towards an overhang where he had built his own small nest, for use when Maleficent was in the castle and not her tree. It was a good, strong nest; the twigs and string and feathers were still bound together even after the months away. Diaval settled in it, getting comfortable in the chilled evening air. It was certainly warmer than the north had been.

_Diaval tumbled onto the ledge, shivering and hopping from foot to foot, looking for a spot free of snow or ice and finding none. As a bird he did not pant, but his chest still heaved, his lungs aching from the length and speed of the flight and the thinness of the mountain air._

_Maleficent laughed as she watched him. "Good of you to join us." She took him in her hands, cradling his small form in her lap. She was dressed appropriately for the weather; an assortment of furs in browns and golds draped her shoulders and legs, and she had on hide boots, laced tight and downy-soft on the inside. His feathers were no comparison._

_He cawed indignantly at her tone. He had not meant to fall behind. Maleficent had been true to her word, setting a pace that even a raven could keep up with, and although the elder Dark Fae had grumbled, the younger ones delighted in the slower pace, which gave them an opportunity to explore the world they had been denied, or else practice complicated aerial displays full of loops and drops and twists that Diaval wished he could emulate even half so impressively. He flew well, of course. For a bird. But as they had gone north, and their altitude rose, he had found it harder and harder to keep up with the fae, until even the most lingering fledgling had been a speck in the sky ahead of him. He tucked his head under his wing, shame burning at him even as Maleficent's hands warmed him. For all the care she had shown in the sky, soaring out far ahead of him with her people, she might as well have left him behind._

_Muffled, he heard one of the Dark Fae scoff. "Good he wasn't lost in the mountains. We'd never find him again in this snow."_

_"Oh, I'd find him." Maleficent stroked his feathers, and Diaval tried not to melt. He clicked his beak in a weak show of irritation. It wasn't her fault. Of course she wanted to fly._

_"You might as well carry him the rest of the way," another Dark Fae remarked. "It would be faster, and easier on his little wings." There was amusement in the words, and Diaval squawked in outrage as unfamiliar fingers pet at his feathers, ruffling them like a fledgling or...a pet._

_"Diaval can keep up," Maleficent said, and batted away the foreign hand. "It may take him longer, but he'll always get there in the end."_

Her words had been accurate, even if they rankled at him. The whole journey had seemed a never-ending series of Diaval falling behind and fighting to catch up, only able to when the Dark Fae stopped to rest. More than once, there had been the same sort of comments, and although none had outwardly referred to him as a pet, the remarks of the oddity of a raven as a traveling companion had served nearly the same purpose. He had spent nearly the entire journey as a raven, and had been insulted. It was still preferable to the brief time he had spent as a man, when he had been just as cold and unable to find a response to their taunts even with his human tongue.

Diaval curled in on himself more tightly, closing his eyes. Across the river, Maleficent stood on her balcony, staring out towards the enchanted forest she had called home for so long, trying to catch a glimpse of black wings.

Diaval woke to heavy wingbeats touching down beside him, stirring the dust into the air. He didn't bother to lift his head, instead tucking it farther beneath his wing. 

"Still in a mood, are you?"

He ignored the flippant opener. They both knew he was awake.

"Diaval." There was a hint of warning in her tone, breaking down into overt concern that tugged at his heart. "Diaval, please. Help me understand."

Still not a peep, but he did lift his head, watching her with dark eyes. Maleficent sighed, and with a twitch of her finger Diaval felt the familiar magic coursing through him, restoring his human shape, so he lay curled on the ground. He sat up with a glower, but it was half-hearted at best. "I was sleeping."

They could both hear the defeat in his voice. "You weren't." 

"Did you need something?" He glanced towards the horizon, where the sun was just barely beginning to kiss the rim of the world, peering up at them from under the covers of sleep. "It's early. Won't Aurora ask where you've gone?"

"I left a note." Maleficent took a seat on the nearest chunk of rubble, crossing one leg behind her, her wings sweeping out. Even at rest they were majestic. Diaval stood, folding his hands tightly behind his back and tugging at his tunic. It wasn't his real coat, but it was his feathers, twisted by magic. He felt shabby standing before her. 

They stared at one another in silence. Maleficent broke it, and when she did it was if a great dam was breaking, the words rushing out of her, pulling her breath along until she seemed to collapse. "What happened to us?"

"I...do not know, Mistress."

"We haven't been right since the mountains." 

"I'm...not sure why you'd think that." It was a bald-faced lie, and he shuffled from foot to foot, avoiding her gaze.

"Was it me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No." Diaval sighed, his shoulders slumping. He turned his back on her, his eyes tracing cracks in the crumbling wall. "It isn't your fault. It's mine." It felt shameful to admit it, but... "I was jealous," he said to the wall.

"Jealous?" The incredulity in her voice, as if the thought itself was shocking to her, was something of a balm to his pride, enough for him to continue.

"It wasn't...it wasn't anyone in particular. But seeing you...with your people..." He let out a soft, bitter laugh. "You're all so beautiful in the air. Watching you soar and spin and dive...I can't fly like that."

"I could give you wings like mine." But it was as empty as the offer had been the last time she'd given it, one quiet night in the mountains, knowing he would refuse. 

"I can't fly like you," he said. "I'm a raven. I'll always fly like a raven." No matter his form, that was always embedded deeply inside him. Anything else would have felt wrong. 

"You say that like it's a bad thing." It was her turn to laugh, nervous and awkward. Diaval couldn't remember the last time they'd been so wrong-footed. Well. The last time before this whole mess had started. 

"That's the thing, though," he said. "I'm a raven. I live like a raven. I fly like a raven. I..." his hands tightened into fists behind his back. "I court like a raven."

There was silence. Diaval dared not turn around to look. She was clever, always so clever, and he didn't want to see her expression as she put the pieces together.

Her breath caught, and he closed his eyes, speaking before she could, all in a rush. "My flying will never impress you. I'm small and I'm slow. I'll always be the loyal follower, but I can hardly keep up, much less go on ahead."

"Diaval-"

"It's alright. I've made my peace with it. I serve you, Mistress, in whatever way you need me. And I'm okay...I'm okay with you not needing me...not wanting me like that."

A hand on his shoulder startled him and he turned, eyes opening, to meet her gaze. Maleficent was staring at him, her lips slightly parted as if in surprise, and it took her a moment to respond. “You love me,” she said.

“Yes,” he answered. There was no use denying it. Not when he had laid it out for her so plainly. His statement was a simple one, but it was as powerful as any spell.

“How long have you know?”

He laughed, the sound bitter and biting as his beak in wolf form. “I couldn’t tell you. It snuck up on me. Years, certainly. Well before Aurora was grown.”

“You never said.”

“You’d ben hurt by love before. And I’m just a lowly raven. Your loyal servant. Why would you ever want more?”

She opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She withdrew her hand, folding her fingers together the way she sometimes did when she was nervous. “You haven’t been my servant in a long time.”

“So we all keep saying,” Diaval returned. He looked away again, watching the sun rise. “Someone, it doesn’t feel quite true.” At her hurt look, he rushed out, “It’s not a bad thing. I don’t mind it. You own me, heart and body and soul. I owe you my life, my form…” He tugged at the ends of his tunic as if to emphasis it. “And you shall always have my heart. You needn’t give me yours.”

“What if I wanted to?”

The words were quiet, nearly swept away by the gentle breeze, but Diaval heard them. He turned to stare, but this time it was she who avoided his gaze. “You’re my guiding compass,” she told him without looking. “My constant companion. You’ve never lost faith in me, even when I’d lost it myself.” She took a deep breath, and then her eyes rose to meet his. “I do love you, Diaval. We’ve been bonded, you and I, for quite a long time now. I hardly saw it myself, until it was right in front of me. But it is there, nonetheless.”

“You can’t mean…”

She took a step towards him, and her fingers curled around his arm. The touch was achingly gentle, and it was all Diaval could do to not melt immediately at the gesture. “You feared courting me as a raven, because you feared I would not be impressed with your flying, when I could go farther, go faster, go higher than you ever could. But your flying does impress me, Diaval. It may not seem showy, but it is steady. And that is what I have always needed. Just someone to be there. Nothing more.”

“I’ll always be there, Mistress.”

“Maleficent, Diaval. My name is Maleficent.”

“Yes, Mistress,” he said, but he did so with a smile, and one spread across her lips to match.

“We make quite a pair, don’t we?” she laughed, and Diaval could not help but join in, relief coursing through him in a way he had never expected it would. He was a bird, and he was used to the sky, but for perhaps the first time in his life, he truly felt lighter than air.

***

“Godmother!” Aurora threw herself at Maleficent as she always did, as if the separation had been months, as it had before, rather than only a handful of days. Maleficent, who had infinite patience when it came to the child she had raised, bore it, allowing the embrace and even hugging back, although not quite so exuberantly. And when Aurora let go, she turned to Diaval.

He greeted her with a smile, holding open his arms, and she fell into them at once. “I’m so glad you made up.”

Over her head, Diaval shared a small smile with Maleficent. She cleared her throat, and Aurora extricated herself from the raven to look towards the fae. “We’re more than made up,” Maleficent told her. “I do believe Diaval and I will be closer than ever, from now own.”

Beneath his new amulet, a glowing green pendant Maleficent had gifted him so he might control his own form at will – “a long time coming,” she had called it, and apologized for withholding it so long – Diaval’s heart skipped a beat at the words. He wondered if he would ever tire of hearing them.

Aurora looked back and forth between them, and her already sunny face lit up even brighter. “That’s wonderful news!” she cheered, rounding on Diaval and grabbing his hands in her own. “I suppose I should call you Godfather now, shouldn’t I?”

“Let’s not be hasty,” Diaval said, laughing with her. “Diaval will still be just fine.”

“Will you get married?”

“Who knows?” Maleficent said, and she grinned. “Stranger things have been known to happen.” They had not spoken on it yet. There had been no reason to. The wedding customs of the fae were far different from humans, and ravens did not marry. There was no need, when you mated for life. Maleficent understood this, as he understood her own needs.

“And before you ask,” he cut off Aurora, who was opening her mouth again with a hopeful expression on her face, “we don’t know if there will be fledglings. Magic isn’t a guarantee with a difference in species.”

“You could always adopt a foundling,” Aurora pointed out, “as you took in me.”

Now that was a thought. Diaval cast a questioning glance towards Maleficent, who seemed to be considering it with equal interest.

“A conversation for another day,” he said, and she nodded. He looked back to Aurora. “Now. Shall we go see that daughter of yours?” She nodded, and Diaval offered Maleficent his arm. She took it, and together they followed the child they had raised into the castle she had come to call home. It would never be theirs, no matter how often they visited, but that was quite alright. Their home, they had found, was in each other. And that seemed just right.


End file.
